Latching means for lockers and the like



s. N. HOPE May 14, 1935;

LATCHING MEANS FOR LOCKERS AND THE LIKE Filed April 20, 1951 IL 0 L 4 be e w Q Emmi. v m 5 a V1.1. .5 m, o 0 M &2 J l D H; f v r t M m m 0 9 0w a 6 6 6 a V flu 0 5 m 0, w i

Patented May 14, 1935 UNITED STATES LATCHING MEANS FOR LOCKERS AND THE Samuel N. Hope, Wauwatosa, Wis., assignor to Dudley Lock Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 20, 1931, Serial No. 531,431

11 Claims.

This invention relates to latching mechanisms for closures such as lockers, vaults, safes, cabinets, and the like, and has for its object to provide an improved and simplified construction 5 adapted to be maintained in inoperative position in certain features and elements of construction herein shown and described, as indicated by the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an internal fragmentary view of a closure construction equipped with latching means embodying the present invention, the latching means being shown in releasing position with the closure element or door in open position, and the back of the lock casing is broken away to show the general internal construction of the lock.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure '1 showing the latching means in operative latching position. Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially as indicated at line, 3-3, on Figure 1.

For the purpose of illustration the present invention is shown as applied to a conventional type of cabinet or box locker, although it will be manifest, as will hereinafter appear, that it is readily adaptable to a relatively wide range of closures, and particularly those of the type where it is desirable or sufficient to latch the closure element in closed position at a single point. In the construction herein shown, the locker includes a body having a frame, I, which is formed to define a closure. opening, 2, such opening being controlled by a closure element or door, 3, which (although not shown) is hinged to said frame, 2. As may be seen, the frame is formed of angle members which are connected together by suitable side walls or panels, not shown. Pivotally mounted at 5 on the inner wall of the door is a latching member, 6, herein shown in the nature of a bell crank lever, one leg, 6 of which depends in substantially vertical direction, as seen in Figure 2. This leg, 6 is provided at its outer edge adjacent the edge of the door, with an inwardly offset lug, l, which projects a substantial distance beyond said edge of the leg, 6, and is adapted when the door is in closed position to be swung about the pivot, 5, so as to register behind the in-turned flange, 9 of the jamb plate or abutment, 9, secured to the inner face of the frame, 2, and thereby latch said closure or door in closed position.

The bell crank lever also includes a second leg, 6, extending substantially at right angles to the leg, 6 and having its outer end formed with an 5 inwardly projecting lug, 6, which is engaged in a slot, I 0, formed in the lower end of a lock bolt, ID, of the lock indicated generally at I I, which is secured to the inner face of the door by means of the bolts, l2. 10

It may be understood that the lock represented in the drawing is of the permutation type and the internalmechanism of which, in general, is similar to that disclosed in my Patent No. 1,845,- 021, issued February 16, 1932. The portion of the lock bolt, l0, disposed in the casing, is of U-shape formation having a pair of spaced-apart leg members 10'', one of which is seen in Figure 1 of the drawing, which leg members are integrally connected together by the portion, l0, and straddles the tumbler mechanism. The intermediate portion, III, of the bolt is provided with a pair of transversely spaced-apart lugs or projections, lll which are adapted to engage in cooperatively formed notches, III, of the tumbler disks, I0 one of which is seen in the drawing, when said tumbler disks are adjusted with their notches in' alignment to receive said projections. The bolt is moved so that the projections engage in registered notches of the tumbler disks when the latching member, 6, is swung in opening di-. rection to the position indicated in Figure 1 of the drawings, and when the latch member is released, as hereinafter described, the bolt, I0, is yieldingly urged to the projected position shown in Figure 2 of the drawing by spring means in the form of coil springs, I0 reacting against the end wall of the casing and the leg portions, lo of the bolt, as seen in the drawing. It may be understood that the end portions of the legs, I0, of the bolt are formed with cavities serving as a retainer for a portion of the spring, I0 to en-' sure maintaining it in proper position. Carried on the leg, l of the bolt is a trip member or tumbler-disarranging p'awl, lll yielding1ymount-. ed so as to operatively engage in a notch," III, of a tumbler disk when adjusted in combination in-' cident to the retraction of the bolt, as seen in the drawing, so that when said bolt is moved outwardly said disarranging pawl becomes effective to shift the tumblerdisk out of registered position, locking the lock so as to make it necessary to re-adjust the tumbler disks in combination. The lower end of the leg, 6, of the latch member is provided with an outwardly extending lug, or

gated aperture, 3, of the door so as to be. exte-' riorly accessible and serve as the means for swinging the latch member, 6, about the pivot, 5, to inoperative position when the lock, II, has been adjusted to permit its bolt, III, to be retracted therein; and this hand piece may also be made as the handle for opening the door.

A substantially flat spring member or detent, H, is secured to the inner wall of the door below the latch member and is formed with an offset portion, M which provides clearance for movement of the lower portion of the leg, 6, of the latch member to and from operative position. The upper end of the offset portion, H, of said detent or spring is formed with an in-turned lug, N and a laterally extending lug, I4 just below the lug, M After the lock, H, has been adjusted to permit its bolt to be retracted therein and the latch member, 6, has been swung to the right from the position shown in Figure 2 by movement of the handle piece, 6*, so as to withdraw the latching ing, 1, from behind its cooperating flange, 9, of the jamb plate, the door is swung open. Upon such opening movement of the door'the lug, N of the spring detent, H, which is normally held depressed by its extension,

I4 engaging the front face of the jamb plate, is

released, and is yieldingly projected away from the door past, the end, I, of the lug, I, onthe latch member, as may be seen in Figure 1. It thus holds said latch member in releasing position during the entire time that the door or closure element is in open position. When the door orclosure is swung to closed position the projection, 14, of the detent or spring member first encounters the front face of the jamb plate or abutment, 9, as the door approaches closing position, as may be seen in Figure 3, which springs the detent extension, M out of engagement with the end of the lug, I, thereby releasing the latch member, 6, allowing it to be oscillated about the pivot, 5, and to permit the spring action within the lock casing, H, to project the bolt, l0. Acting through the leg, 6', of the latch member, the bolt thus swings the lug, I, past the flange, 9 of the jamb plate in latching position. As will be seen in the drawing, the leg, 6, of the latch member, which depends in substantially vertical direction with respect to its pivot, 5, is rather massive,as compared to the leg, 6", and by virtue of its greater weight, it will tend to respond mainly to its own center of gravity. If it were free to swing from the position indicated in Figure 1, the member 6, would tend to assume the position indicated in Figure 2, at which position the lug, "I, is disposed in latching position; therefore force imparted by the spring means through the bolt, i0, need not be great since it is merely needed to overcome friction of the parts, and ensures movement of the latch member, 6, to latching position.

In order to insure against accidental contact with the detent or spring member, ll, when the door is in open position, which might result in releasing the latching member and permitting the lock to project its bolt into locking position (requiring the user to readjust the lock and then manipulate the spring in a manner to engage the latch member again to maintain it in released position), there is provided a rigid guard element indicated at l6, which overlies the main body portion, H, of said detent element, but in spaced relation thereto so as to allow free spring action. From the foregoing it will be manifest that the construction embodying the present invention may also be readily adapted for use in connection with closures, wherein there is employed a vertically moving latching bar by means of which the closure is locked in position at a plurality of spaced points.

Although I have shown and' described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is manifest that it is capable'of modification and rearrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. I do not, therefore, wish to be'understood as limiting myself to the particular construction and arrangement herein shown and described,-except as limited by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a door and door frame, of'a latching member pivotally mounted on'the door and having an inwardly ofiset lug adapted to engage the door frame for latching the door in closed position, a lock on the door associated with the latch member for normally maintaining it in operative position, and a spring member on the door engageable directly with said latching position for releasing said latching member for movement to operative latching position.

2. In the construction defined in claim 1, a

rigid guard on the door for shielding the spring to prevent accidental release of the latching member when the door is open.

3. The combination with a ,door and door frame, of a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on the door and having one leg movable into operative engagement with the door frame for latching the door in closed position, a lock on the door having a spring projected bolt engaging a second leg of the bell crank for normally maintaining the other leg in operative latching position, and a spring detent carried on the door and adapted to engage one of the legs of, the bell crank when it has been moved to door releasing position as a result of adjustment of the lock for holding it in such position while the door is open, and adapted to engage the door frame as the door-approaches closed position for releasing said bell crank formovement to latching position by the action of the spring projected bolt.

4. In the construction defined in claim 3, an exteriorly accessible hand piece extending through the door and rigidly associated with saidbell crank for manually swinging the same to inoperative position after said lock has been adjusted for releasing said bell crank.

5. The combination with a door and door frame, of a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on the door, one leg of said bell crank having an inwardly oifset lug adapted when said lever is moved in one direction to operatively engage the door frame for latching the door in closed positioma lock on the door having a spring projected bolt engaging the otherleg of the bell crank for normally maintaining the lug on the first leg in operative latching position, and a spring detent carried on the door and normally engaging the door frame for hold-' ing it out of contact with the bell crank when the door is closed and said bell crank is in latching position, and adapted to engage the end of said lug when the bell crank is moved to releasing position and the door commences to open, for holding the bell crank in inoperative position while the door remains open, and adapted to encounter the door frame as the door approaches closed position for moving it out of engagement with the lug of the bell crank and permitting it to be projected into latching position by the spring projected bolt of the lock.

6. The combination with a door and door frame, of a latching member on the door mounted for movement into operative engagement with a cooperating abutment on the door frame, a lock on the door having a bolt engageable directly with said latching member for normally holding it in operative latching position, said lock being adjustable to permit said bolt to be forcibly moved to withdrawn position by the movement of the latching member to releasing position, and means rendered operable when the latching member is moved to releasing position for releasably maintaining it in such position, and in which position the latching member holdsthe bolt withdrawn, While the door remains open, said means being positioned for encounter with the abutment on the door frame as the door is moved to closed position for releasing said latching member and permitting it and the bolt to return to operative of a latching member on the door mounted for movement into operative engagement with a 00- operating abutment on the door frame, a lock on the door having a bolt engageable directly with said latching member for normally holding it in operative latching position, exteriorly accessible means for shifting said latching member to releasing position, said lock being adjustable to permit said bolt to be forcibly moved to withdrawn position by the movement of the latching member to releasing position, and means rendered operable when the latching member is moved to releasing position for releasably holding it there, in which position the latching member holds the bolt withdrawn, while the door is open, said means being adapted to encounter the abutment on the door frame when the door is moved to closed position, for releasing said latching member and permitting' it and the bolt to be moved to operative latching position.

8. In combination, a locker having a door, a movable latch member carried on the door for securing said door in closed position, a lock arranged to secure said latch member in closed position, said lock including combination mechanism and a lock bolt having a projecting portion adapted to engage said latch member, said bolt being selectively releasable by the combination mechanism, and being further constructed and arranged to have its latch-engaging portion move with said latch member, whereby movement of said latch member will move said bolt to unlocked position when released, and means for securing said latch member and bolt in unlocked position until said locker door is closed.

9. The combination with a door and door frame, of a manually movable latching member for securing the door in closed position, a lock arranged to secure the latching member in operative latching position, said lock including combination mechanism and a bolt member having a projecting portion engageable directly with said latching member, said combination mechanism being adjustable to release the bolt member, one of said members being pivotally mounted, whereby manual movement of the latching member will move the bolt member to unlocked position when released, and means for securing said latching member and bolt member in unlocked position until the locker door is closed.

10. The combination with a door and doorframe, of a movable latching member for securing the door in closed position, and a lock arranged to secure the latching member in latching position, said lock including combination mechanism and a bolt controlled thereby, said bolt having a portion adapted to directly engage said latching member, said bolt being spring-projected to maintain it in substantially constant engagement with the latching member, whereby movement of said latching member will move said bolt to unlocked position when released, and return of the latch- ,ing member to latching position will permit return of the bolt to locking position.

11. The combination with a door and door frame, of a movable latching member for securing the door in closed position, and a lock having means to automatically secure the latching member in latching position upon said member being moved to such position, said means including a bolt having a portion to directly engage said latching member, said bolt being spring-projected to maintain it in operative relation to the latching member, so that movement of said latching member will move said bolt to unlocked position when released, and return of the latching member to latching position will permit return of the bolt t locking position.

SAMUEL N. HOPE. 

